Daily Encouragement: Year 1, Day 16
Adapted from Handbook to Leadership
Personal Development: Dependence on God
Jeremiah draws a sharp contrast between those who depend on human strength and those who depend on the living God. He makes it clear that we cannot look to both as our supreme basis of trust; we will either put our hope in the promises and power of people, or we will look beyond human capability to the person and promises of God. When we make people the basis of our confidence, we experience rejection and disappointment again and again. But when God becomes the ultimate source of our confidence, we are never let down.
Those who put more confidence in themselves or in other people than in God will find bitterness and disappointment in the end. They may appear to prosper for a season, but the journey will not get them to their desired goals. But those who transfer their trust from themselves or the promises of others to the Lord discover that their lives are deeply rooted in well-watered soil. The Lord declares that those who will honor Him will be honored by Him, and He will scorn those who despise Him (1 Samuel 2:30).
In what areas of your life (e.g., business, finances, health, family) are you depending more on yourself and others than on God?